adverb
- In a manner relating to or characteristic of phatic communication; used to establish or maintain social contact rather than to convey information.
Usage: linguistics, formal; derived from 'phatic' (relating to phatic speech acts)
Examples
- She greeted him phatically with 'How are you?' without expecting a detailed response.
- The comment was made phatically to keep the conversation flowing rather than to share meaningful information.
- Small talk functions phatically to build rapport between strangers.
- He spoke phatically about the weather as a way to break the ice.